This review article is an overview of the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. ICBT’s effectiveness has been investigated in treating and managing conditions like depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, and phobias. ICBT’s role in the treatment of medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus with comorbid psychiatric illnesses was also explored. Furthermore, this study elaborates on its cost-effectiveness and its impact in rural areas. We conducted a thorough literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar with no restrictions on the date. ICBT's role in treating and controlling psychiatric illnesses has been established in the literature. From the data compiled, we conclude that ICBT is useful in treating mental health and medical illnesses with psychiatric comorbidities. It has also been found to be cost-effective for patients and society. ICBT is a potential tool emerging with modern day technological advancements and is useful in rural and urban settings, across various languages and cultures, and on a global scale. Larger randomized control trials on its use in clinical practice and in reaching rural populations are bound to shed more light on the effectiveness of this tool along with spreading awareness among physician and patient communities.
8 October 2021 in Journal of Cognition and Development
The relationship between motor skills and executive functions (EFs) is gaining prominence in the field of developmental psychology. However, evidence of the motor skills–EFs link in children with typical development is somewhat inconsistent and there has been no adequate attempt to evaluate it systematically across studies. In view of this, the present meta-analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship between the global domains of motor skills and EFs; and to explore specific associations between different components of motor skills (balance, manual dexterity, locomotor skills, and object control skills) and EFs (response inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in typically developing children. The analysis involved data on 4,866 children between the ages of 3 and 12 years, taken from 32 studies. The results revealed a significant positive association between motor skills and EFs at the global level, as well as at the specific level of analysis. At the specific level of analysis, balance and manual dexterity were found to have the strongest independent associations with all EF components. Moderator analysis revealed an age effect between balance and response inhibition only. In summary, the present meta-analysis provides evidence for the theoretical assumption of a link between motor skills and EFs and emphasizes the importance of including cognitively engaging motor tasks in intervention programs designed to promote motor skills and higher-order cognitive skills in children.
Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a transient left ventricular wall dysfunction that is often triggered by physical or emotional stressors. Although TTS is a rare disease with a prevalence of only 0.5% to 0.9% in the general population, it is often misdiagnosed as acute coronary syndrome. A diagnosis of TTS can be made using Mayo diagnostic criteria. The initial management of TTS includes dual antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulants, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or aldosterone receptor blockers, and statins. Treatment is usually provided for up to three months and has a good safety profile. For TTS with complications such as cardiogenic shock, management depends on left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). In patients without LVOTO, inotropic agents can be used to maintain pressure, while inotropic agents are contraindicated in patients with LVOTO. In TTS with thromboembolism, heparin should be started, and patients should be bridged to warfarin for up to three months to prevent systemic emboli. Our comprehensive review discussed the management in detail, derived from the most recent literature from observational studies, systematic review, and meta-analyses.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly progressing global pandemic that may present with a variety of cardiac manifestations including, but not limited to, myocardial injury, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, shock, thromboembolism, and cardiac arrest. These cardiovascular effects are worse in patients who have pre-existing cardiac conditions such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coagulation abnormalities. Other predisposing risk factors include advanced age, immunocompromised state, and underlying systemic inflammatory conditions. Here we review the cellular pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and treatment modalities of the cardiac manifestations seen in patients with COVID-19.
7 September 2021 in Journal of the American Heart Association
Background: Redo mitral valve surgery is required in up to one‐third of patients and is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Valve‐in‐valve transcatheter mitral valve replacement (ViV TMVR) is less invasive and could be considered in those at prohibitive surgical risk. Studies on comparative outcomes of ViV TMVR and redo surgical mitral valve replacement (SMVR) remain limited. Our study aimed to investigate the real‐world outcomes of the above procedures using the National Inpatient Sample database. Methods and Results: We analyzed National Inpatient Sample data using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification ( ICD‐10‐CM ) from September 2015 to December 2018. A total of 495 and 2250 patients underwent redo ViV TMVR and SMVR, respectively. The patients who underwent ViV TMVR were older (77 versus 68 years, P <0.01). Adjusted mortality was higher in the redo SMVR group compared with the ViV TMVR group (7.6% versus <2.8%, P <0.01). Perioperative complications were higher among patients undergoing redo SMVR including blood transfusions (38% versus 7.6%, P <0.01) and acute kidney injury (36.7% versus 13.9%, P <0.01). Cost of care was higher (USD$57 172 versus USD$52 579, P <0.01), length of stay was longer (10 versus 3 days, P <0.01), and discharge to home was lower (20.3% versus 64.6%, P <0.01) in the SMVR group compared with the ViV TMVR group. Conclusions: ViV TMVR is associated with lower mortality, periprocedural morbidity, and resource use compared with patients undergoing redo SMVR. ViV TMVR may be a viable option for some patients with mitral prosthesis dysfunction. Studies evaluating long‐term outcomes and durability of ViV TMVR are needed. A patient‐centered approach by the heart team, local institutional expertise, and careful preprocedure planning can help decision‐making about the choice of intervention for the individual patient.
3 September 2021 in Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives
The clinical efficacy of remote dielectric sensing (ReDS) monitoring is not well known. Digital databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Pooled unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for dichotomous outcomes were calculated using a random-effects model. Findings were reported as a point estimate with its 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 985 patients across seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Patients with heart failure monitored with ReDS had significantly lower odds of hospital readmission compared with non-ReDS patients (OR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.29–0.56; z = 5.43 p = 0.000, I2 = 0%). Subgroup analysis based on the duration of follow-up showed a lower odd of readmission within 30 days (OR = 0.36; 95% CI 0.18–0.71; z = 2.93; p = 0.003; I2 5.7%), as well as between 1 and 3 months (OR = 0.42; 95% CI 0.29–0.61; z = 4.54; p = 0.000; I2 = 0.0%). ReDS effect of lower readmissions of HF was observed irrespective of the duration of follow-up (<1-month vs 1–3 months). ReDS monitoring significantly lowers the odds of HF readmission within 3 months compared to participants not using ReDS.